12.
Right now America is for sure today's world's greatest superpower with no doubt.
But we live in a very "liquid" and uncertain era from a political, military and economical view.
There are plenty of small regional or even secondary powers that through a proper chain of events and leaders can turn into a global great power and eventually The Superpower.
Most of them are "underdogs" , the nowadays great powers aren't in position neither political neither economical neither military to evolve into superpower. Social and political landscapes of Europe and America are sliding the states backwards closer to dissolution than unification.
Underdog states that could turn into great powers and possibly The superpower within the next 100-200 years are, Greece, Turkey, Pakistan, England, Iran. These are candidates that could unite some regions under a strong leadership could become a great power, such as Mesopotamia and Minor Asia , Central Asia and some parts of Africa.
Greece Turkey and Iran, one of these if the political conditions are set up, they could unite Mesopotamia and minor Asia under one state.
These regions I call them the heart of the Western World.
If United and developed properly they'll pose the most powerful state in the world right now.
Controlling a huge amount of west's energy resources and also controlling very important land and maritime trade routes. A state like that would hold all Europe by the balls and have huge leverages against USA, China and the rest of its neighbours.
Economically this state could easily have Autarky since middle east and minor Asia is rich of almost every resource necessary to modern industries and markets.
The only way I state like that could survive through time would regarding modern data be a kind of parliamentary monarchy. The monarch would only exist as a public figure and have limited powers, like a national emblem, something for the people to trust in. And the parliament democratically elected could rule the place and make the important decisions.
Turkey if led by a competent and bright leader could be the best candidate for this miracle. But they would have to treat everyone who they have conquered as exactly equals and give them seats in the Parliament, which I think turks aren't yet spiritually and mentally able of accomplishing, they still have that imperial Ottoman complex in them. Otherwise they would have been my number one candidate.
Greece if led by a real goverment and not by German puppets could overtake Turkish state, fortunately democracy is part Greece's national identity and thus uniting anatolia peoples and bringing real democracy and stability to the region. That way the Turkish and Greek state can develop its military, economy and politics. Then they would expand into kurdish and Arab states and establishing democracies there too.
And when they have incorporated Syria and Iraq they could stop there for the time being. The following decades /century could be spent stabilising, implementing full democracy and establishing a just and fair
state that would finally bring stability and prosperity to the anatolian and mesopotamian region.
A state like that won't be a nationalistic state, it won't be Greek, it won't be Turkish, it won't be Arab. It will be all of them working toghether for the same goals, freedom, prosperity and stability.
The parliament would be defined by equal political bodies representing all peoples of the state and there won't be a particular official faith but instead everyone is allowed and guaranteed to practice their own faith freely.
And even the Emperors role would be to make sure there are no imbalances with the treatment and justice between the people of this state.Also he would make sure that every people's would keep their cultures and faiths, the goal of this state is to bring stability and protect the locals, not ethnic cleansing or forced religions.
The most proper name for such a state would be the United Free Democracies. Because the whole notion that keeps that thing toghether is democracy, stability and prosperity. It may have smaller states in it which have particular religions or nationalities but the central one hasnt nationalistic nor religious character. It has the one I mentioned before
That could only be accomplished through brutal force by a strong military. Noone ever unites because of good will. New system will have to abolish all the old states in the area and replace them by force with new. Because otherwise it will be a rotten structure and it won't last for long.
@Istanbuller brother I want your opinion on that, because as far as I have understood, you're a classic turk when it comes to politics, thus your opinion would be appreciated by me